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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · wind · stock · bowl · present · lash · drill · net

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stock — goods
  9. net — after costs
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. present — the time now
  12. stock — shares
  13. net — for catching
  14. drill — army training
  15. net — in sport
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. present — a gift
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. present — there
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wind — to turn a key

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com